| English Electric Type 4 British Rail Class 40 |
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| 40145 on a charter train at Carlisle, 27 August 2004 | |
| Power type | Diesel-electric |
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| Builder | English Electric at Vulcan Foundry and Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns |
| Build date | 1958–1962 |
| Total production | 200 |
| Configuration | 1Co-Co1 |
| UIC classification | (1Co)'(Co1)' |
| Gauge | 4 ft 81⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Wheel diameter | Driving: 3 ft 9 in (1.143 m) Idling: 3 ft 0 in (0.914 m) |
| Minimum curve | 4.5 chains (91 m) |
| Wheelbase | 61 ft 3 in (18.67 m) |
| Length | 69 ft 6 in (21.18 m) |
| Width | 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) |
| Height | 12 ft 10 in (3.91 m) |
| Weight | 133 long tons (135 t) |
| Fuel capacity | 710 imp gal (3,200 l; 850 US gal) |
| Prime mover | English Electric 16SVT MkII |
| Transmission | DC generator, DC traction motors |
| Multiple working | ★ Blue Star |
| Top speed | 90 mph (140 km/h) |
| Power output | Engine: 2,000 bhp (1,490 kW) At rail: 1,550 hp (1,160 kW) |
| Tractive effort | Maximum: 52,000 lbf (231 kN) |
| Train heating | Steam |
| Locomotive brakeforce | 51 LTf (508 kN) |
| Train brakes | Vacuum |
| Career | British Railways |
| Number | D200–D399, later 40001–40199 |
| Axle load class | Route availability 6 |
The British Rail Class 40 is a type of British railway diesel locomotive. Built by English Electric between 1958 and 1962, and eventually numbering 200, they were for a time the pride of the British Rail early diesel fleet. Despite their initial success, by the time the last examples were entering service they were already being replaced on some top-link duties by more powerful locomotives. As they were slowly relegated from express passenger uses, the type found work on secondary passenger and freight services where they worked for many years, the final locomotives being retired from regular service in 1985.
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Origins
The origins of the Class 40 fleet lay in the prototype diesel locomotives (Types D16/1 ordered by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and British Railways and D16/2 ordered by British Railways between 1947 and 1954) and most notably with the Southern Region locomotive No. 10203, which was powered by English Electric's 16SVT MkII engine developing 2,000 bhp (1,460 kW).[1] The bogie design and power train of 10203 was used almost un-changed on the first ten production Class 40.
Prototypes
British Railways originally ordered ten Class 40s, then known as "English Electric Type 4s", as evaluation prototypes. They were built at the Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire.[2] The first locomotive, D200, was delivered to Stratford on 14 March 1958. Following fitter and crew training, D200 made its passenger début on an express train from London Liverpool Street to Norwich on 18 April 1958.[1] Five of the prototypes, Nos. D200-D204, were trialed on similar services on the former Great Eastern routes, whilst the remaining five, Nos. D205-D209, worked on Great Northern services on the East Coast Main Line.
Sir Brian Robertson, chairman of the British Transport Commission, was less than impressed, believing that the locomotives lacked the power to maintain heavy trains at high speed and were too expensive to run in multiple – opinions that were later proved to be correct. Airing his views at the regional boards prompted others to break cover and it was agreed that later orders would be uprated to 2500 hp (a change that was never applied). Direct comparisons on the Great Eastern mainline showed they offered little advantage over the "Britannia" class steam locomotives, when driven well, and the Eastern Region declined to accept further machines as they deemed them unsuitable to replace the Standard Class 5 steam locomotives on the East Coast Main Line[3] preferring to hold on until the "Deltic" Class 55 diesels were delivered.
The London Midland Region was only too pleased as the Eastern Region's decision released additional locomotives to replace their ageing steam fleet, Class 40 managing Camden bank, just north of Euston, with apparent ease. The West Coast Main Line had been starved of investment for many years and the poor track and general lower speeds (when compared to the East Coast route) suited Class 40 as the need to hold trains at speed for long periods simply did not exist and it better exploited their fairly rapid acceleration.
Production
Following the mixed success of the prototypes, another 190 locomotives were ordered by British Railways, and were numbered from D210 to D399. All were built at Vulcan Foundry, except a batch of twenty (Nos. D305–D324) which were built at Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns factory in Darlington. All the locomotives were painted in the British Railways diesel green livery, and the final locomotive, D399, was delivered in September 1962.[4]
Batches of the class were built with significant design differences, due to changes in railway working practices. The first 125 locomotives, Nos. D200–D324, were built with steam-age 'disc' headcode markers, which BR used to identify services. Later, it was decided that locomotives should display the four character train reporting number (or headcode) of the service they were hauling, and Nos. D324–D344 were built with 'split' headcode boxes, which displayed two characters either side of the locomotive's central gangway doors. Another policy decision led to the discontinuing of the gangway doors (which enabled train crew to move between two or three locomotives in multiple). The remaining locomotives, Nos. D345–D399, carried a central four-character headcode box. Seven of the first batch of locomotives, Nos.D260–D266, were later converted to the central headcode design.
Locomotives in the range D210–D235 were to be named after cruise ships operated by the companies Cunard Line, Elder Dempster Lines, and Canadian Pacific Steamships, as they hauled express trains to Liverpool, the home port of these companies. The only locomotive not to carry a name was D226 which was to carry the name Media but never did so. From approximately 1970, with Class 40s no longer working these trains, the nameplates were gradually removed.[4]
| Loco | Name | Shipping line | Date named |
|---|---|---|---|
| D210 | Empress of Britain | Canadian Pacific Steamships | May 1960 |
| D211 | Mauretania | Cunard Line | September 1960 |
| D212 | Aureol | Elder Dempster Lines | September 1960 |
| D213 | Andania | Cunard Line | June 1962 |
| D214 | Antonia | Cunard Line | May 1961 |
| D215 | Aquitania | Cunard Line | May 1962 |
| D216 | Campania | Cunard Line | May 1962 |
| D217 | Carinthia | Cunard Line | May 1962 |
| D218 | Carmania | Cunard Line | July 1961 |
| D219 | Caronia | Cunard Line | June 1962 |
| D220 | Franconia | Cunard Line | February 1963 |
| D221 | Ivernia | Cunard Line | March 1961 |
| D222 | Laconia | Cunard Line | October 1962 |
| D223 | Lancastria | Cunard Line | May 1961 |
| D224 | Lucania | Cunard Line | August 1962 |
| D225 | Lusitania | Cunard Line | March 1962 |
| D226 | Media | Cunard Line | Never |
| D227 | Parthia | Cunard Line | June 1962 |
| D228 | Samaria | Cunard Line | September 1962 |
| D229 | Saxonia | Cunard Line | March 1963 |
| D230 | Scythia | Cunard Line | April 1961 |
| D231 | Sylvania | Cunard Line | May 1962 |
| D232 | Empress of Canada | Canadian Pacific Steamships | March 1961 |
| D233 | Empress of England | Canadian Pacific Steamships | September 1961 |
| D234 | Accra | Elder Dempster Lines | May 1962 |
| D235 | Apapa | Elder Dempster Lines | May 1962 |
From 1973, locomotives were renumbered to suit the TOPS computer operating system, and became known as 'Class 40'. Locomotives D201 to D399 were renumbered in sequence into the range 40001 to 40199. The first built locomotive, D200, was renumbered 40122, which was vacant due to the scrapping of D322 after an accident in September 1967.[5]
BR service
The Class 40s operated in most areas of British Railways (except the Western and Southern Regions). After the early trials, the majority were based at depots in northern England, notably Manchester Longsight, Carlisle Kingmoor, Wigan Springs Branch, Thornaby and Gateshead.
The heyday of the class was in the early 1960s, when they hauled top-link expresses on the West Coast Main Line and in East Anglia. However, the arrival of more powerful diesels such as Class 47 and Class 55, together with the electrification of the West Coast Main Line, meant that the fleet was gradually relegated to more mundane duties.
In later life the locomotives were mainly to be found hauling heavy freight and passenger trains in the north of England and Scotland. As more new rolling stock was introduced, their passenger work decreased, partly due to their lack of electric train heating for newer passenger coaches. They lost their last front-line passenger duties - in Scotland - in 1980, and the last regular use on passenger trains was on the North Wales Coast Line between Holyhead, Crewe and Manchester.
Decline
Withdrawal of the Class 40s started in 1976, when three locomotives (40005, 40039 and 40102) were taken out of service. At over 130 tons the Class were by then considered underpowered. In addition, some were found to be suffering from fractures of the plate-frame bogies, and spares were also needed to keep other locomotives running. Also, many Class 40s were not fitted with air braking, leaving them unable to haul more modern freight and passenger vehicles. Despite this, only sixteen had been withdrawn by the start of the 1980s.[6] The locomotives, often known as "Whistlers" because of the distinctive noise of the turbocharger, became more popular with railway enthusiasts as their numbers started to dwindle.
Withdrawals then picked up apace, with the non-air brake fitted locomotives taking the brunt of the decline. In 1981, all 130 remaining locomotives were concentrated in the London Midland region of BR. After that, numbers dwindled slowly until by the end of 1984 there were only thirteen still running. These included the pioneer locomotive, 40122, which having been withdrawn in 1981, was re-instated in July 1983 and painted in the original green livery to haul rail enthusiasts' specials. The last passenger run by a Class 40 apart from 40122 occurred on 27 January 1985, when 40012 hauled a train from Birmingham New Street to York. All the remaining locomotives except 40122 were withdrawn the next day.
Further use
The Class 40 story was not quite over, however. Upon the joint initiative of enthusiasts Howard Johnston and Murray Brown who noticed it on the scrapline at Carlisle Kingmoor depot in summer 1981 ready to go to Swindon Works for breaking up, 40122 was reinstated by BR and overhauled at Toton depot with parts from 40076. Now in working condition and repainted green, it was regularly used to haul normal passenger trains in the hope of attracting enthusiasts, as well as special trains. In addition, four locomotives were temporarily returned to service as Class 97 departmental locomotives, numbered 97405-97408. They were used to work engineering trains for a remodelling project at Crewe station. These were withdrawn by early 1987.
40122 was eventually withdrawn in 1988 and presented to the National Railway Museum. Six other locomotives were preserved, and on 30 November 2002, over sixteen years after the last Class 40 had hauled a mainline passenger train, the Class 40 Preservation Society's 40145 hauled an enthusiasts' railtour from Crewe to Holyhead and back.[7]
Miscellany
- D326 (later 40126) was the engine used to haul the train involved in the Great Train Robbery in 1963.
- D318 featured in the 1967 film "Robbery" , based on the events of the Great Train Robbery.
- 40106 retained its original green livery throughout its career. In 1979, it was the last locomotive remaining in the livery, and instead of being repainted into rail blue, was given a new coat of green. It was regularly used on charter specials, and after withdrawal in 1983 it was later preserved. The locomotive was later named Atlantic Conveyor, after the ship of the same name sunk in the Falklands War.
Gallery
 One of the ten prototypes, D202, at Liverpool Street station in original green livery, 1963. Note the headcode discs as fitted to the first batch of locomotives. |
 'Split headcode' No.40142 at Edinburgh Waverley in 1977 |
 Departmental Class 40 No.97407 at Manchester Victoria station in 1986. Note that the locomotive carries both its former numbers of 40012 and (D)212. |
Preservation
Seven locomotives and one cab end (40088) have been preserved on heritage railways, including the first built, number D200.
| Numbers (current in bold) | Name | Livery | Location | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D200 | 40122 | BR Green | National Railway Museum | Part of the National Collection | ||
| D212 | 40012 | 97407 | Aureol | BR Green | Midland Railway - Butterley | Headcode discs. |
| D213 | 40013 | Andania | BR Blue | Barrow Hill Engine Shed | ||
| D288 | 40088 | BR Blue | East Lancashire Railway | Only one cab saved and is mounted on a road trailer. | ||
| D306 | 40106 | Atlantic Conveyor | BR Green | Nene Valley Railway | Headcode discs. Named in preservation. | |
| D318 | 40118 | 97408 | BR Blue | Tyseley Locomotive Works | ||
| D335 | 40135 | 97406 | BR Green | East Lancashire Railway | Split headcode boxes. Currently out of service due to segmental bearing issues. | |
| D345 | 40145 | East Lancashire Railway | Large Logo Blue | East Lancashire Railway | Domino Route. Mainline registered. Named during the East Lancashire Railway 20th Anniversary event. | |
In fiction
Two Class 40 1Co-Co1s appear in The Railway Series of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry and the TV spin-off, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. The locomotives concerned were "The Diesel" (D4711) (numbered D261 in the TV Series) and "Old Stuck Up".
References
- ^ a b Class 40 History Part 1 Class 40 Preservation Society - Retrieved on 2007-07-17
- ^ Class 40 Page The Railway Centre - Retrieved on 2007-07-18
- ^ BRITISH RAIL STANDARD DIESELS OF THE 1960s - p94 - Ian Allan Publishing
- ^ a b Class 40 History Part 2 Class 40 Preservation Society - Retrieved on 2007-07-23
- ^ Incidents in 1967 Railblue.com - Retrieved on 2007-07-23
- ^ Withdrawal list Class 40 page - Retrieved on 2007-07-24
- ^ 40145 maiden journey 2002 Six Bells Junction - Retrieved on 2007-07-24
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: British Rail Class 40 |
Locomotive details
- Detailed photoguides (annotated):
- Cab interiorPDF (372 KB) , including driver's desk, secondman's position, AWS equipment
- Nose interior equipmentPDF (118 KB) , including sanding gear, hand brake, vacuum brake controls
- 1-Co BogiePDF (201 KB) , including bogie structure; brake, heating and electrical connections
- Engine interiorPDF (187 KB) , camshaft and associated components
- Electrical control cubiclesPDF (440 KB)
Preservation groups
- The Class 40 Appeal, owners of 40012
- The Mayflower Group, operators of 40106
- 16SVT Society, owners of 40118
- Class 40 Preservation Society, operators of 40145 on the mainline and 40135 on the East Lancs Railway
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